who are ELF

who are ELF and what are their goals?
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I don't agree or dis agree, with the postings of the following website. I am simply posting for the benefit of the question. (Though a Google search would have given you the same.)

"Because the ELF structure is non-hierarchical, there is no centralized organization or leadership. There is also no "membership" in the Earth Liberation Front."

www.earthliberationfront.com...

Earth Liberation front
so they are just a bunch of wako tree huggers?

ELF website
Every day, over 74,000 acres of Forest Are Permanently Lost!

Is that true?!?! That seems an awfully large number of Acres dissapearing for just one day.

Originally posted by bodrul
Earth Liberation front
so they are just a bunch of wako tree huggers?

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is a loosely-knit eco-defense (apologist term) or eco-terrorist (hostile term) organization that, according to the ELF, "uses direct action in the form of economic sabotage to stop the exploitation and destruction of the natural environment" [1] .

Their techniques involve destruction of property that they believe is being used to hurt animals or the environment via arson or other means, and the release of animals from research facilities. This is also called ecotage.

The ELF started in 1977 in Santa Cruz, California. At that time, the group's name was "Environmental Life Force." The founder of ELF was arrested at his home in Santa Cruz on November 22, 1977. The original ELF disbanded in 1978. Later, in the 1980s the British department of Earth First decided to stop using ecotage techniques and the current ELF was formed. It copied the ELF acronym which now stands for the Earth Liberation Front.

The ELF has been classified as the #1 domestic terrorist group by the FBI. [ Supporters and sympathizers of the ELF deny that they are a terrorist group and publicly claim to disavow harming any living being. Opponents however consider it luck more than anything that no one has been killed by the ELF's arson. [3] (the issue is controversial.

The current group's first claimed action was in 1997; followed in 1998 by an arson attack on the Vail Mountain ski resort in Vail, Colorado. Since then they have claimed responsibility for dozens of destructive actions [4]

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by MERC

ELF website
Every day, over 74,000 acres of Forest Are Permanently Lost!

Is that true?!?! That seems an awfully large number of Acres dissapearing for just one day.

True...but the numbers keep going up.

"However, these precious systems are among the most threatened on the planet. Although the precise area is disputed, each day, at least 80,000 acres (32,300 ha) of forest disappear from earth. At least another 80,000 acres (32,300 ha) of forest are degraded"

www.mongabay.com...

Assuming that they would work every day...thats 29200000 acres gone a year...hope we can learn to breathe CO

There are more trees now than when Columbus took a wrong turn and came to N America. FACT no BS.............

Well to be perfectly honest, Netstorm, if those numbers are in fact accurate, can we really blame the certain rogue ELF factions for taking drastic measures such as the ones Dr. Horacid has pointed out recently? I mean, im no treehugger, but im sure such a substantial loss of forest on a daily basis cant be good for the planet in any way, shape, or form, let alone the intricate Eco systems that inhabit those forest regions. Where do all the animals that live there go when they chop it all down?

Originally posted by DrHoracid
There are more trees now than when Columbus took a wrong turn and came to N America. FACT no BS.............

I am aware of how the harvest trees, and that they are being careful out there. But at some point in time, we will run out. But any way hows this

In 1630, there was an estimated one billion acres of forest land in the United States. That number dramatically dropped to 759 million acres when measured in 1907. What do you think the most recent figure is?
389 million acres
747 million acres
903 million acres







Answer 747 Million.

forestry.about.com...

The data sited does not include Trees not "designated" as being in a "forest". It is an estimation of "forest" land not trees. It also does not include "private" tree farms. It only contains 'public" owner forest land.

Based on your data of 74,000 acres gone a day and 747 million acres that means no trees left in 27 years.............stupid.........

Originally posted by DrHoracid
The data sited does not include Trees not "designated" as being in a "forest". It is an estimation of "forest" land not trees. It also does not include "private" tree farms. It only contains 'public" owner forest land.

Based on your data of 74,000 acres gone a day and 747 million acres that means no trees left in 27 years.............stupid.........

That's the spirit DrHoracid...throw an insult to someone who may or may not have made an error. As from your previous post could you provide some data please on hard numbers.

There are more trees now than when Columbus took a wrong turn and came to N America. FACT no BS.............

I find this topic interesting and look forward to some constructive feedback, however an expected insult would probably be more apropos.

brill

seems to me he was insulting ELF's vastly exaggerated statements. now, althought, still vastly exaggerated, their statements about how much forest is lost could mean across the globe, not just the continental US or North America. they'd prolly be closer, especially when one takes into account South America, but regardless of all this information, none of this has anything to do with breathing as 80% of the worlds CO2 is converted to O2 by plankton, not trees.

but it does have to do with domestic terrorism. ELF has not officially been blamed for any deaths yet, but there are investigations into recent fires and whatnot that trying to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to hold certain members accountable for the deaths of a couple people. don't have any links, but i'm sure googling it will get something. i think one death being investigated with this slant happened during the wild-fires burning in southern california either last year or the year before.

whether or not they have actually killed anyone yet, they are still terrorists. they push a political message with every action to try to sway lawmakers, public opinion and business. what i think is funny is that they call it "direct action" when they are so indirect about it. they could easily stand in front of logging equipment or get legal injunctions to stop this development or that one, but no, they wait 'til everyone goes home and under cover of night and in secret, they burn stuff (sometimes, including what they are trying to protect). the ELF are indeed idiots and stupid and i won't apologize for that opinion of them, especially since, at one point, i shared some of their beliefs, but, of course, i grew up........

[edit on 11-2-2005 by fledgling666]

www.cdfe.org...

October 26, 1998: Powers, Michigan. Release of 5,000 mink at Tom Pipkorn's Mink Farm near Hermansville in the upper peninsula. An estimated 500 are run over on roads, starve, drown in a swimming pool or disappear. Damages: $100,000. ELF claim of responsibility faxed to Associated Press offices by North American Animal Liberation Front.

July 20; Rhinelander, Wis. Vandals hack down thousands of experimental trees, mostly poplars, and spray-paint vehicles at a U.S. Forest Service research station. The Earth Liberation Front claims the attack was against bioengineering, although researchers say the trees were bred naturally to grow faster and resist diseases. Damages: $1 million.

Feb. 15; Suffolk County, New York. Charged with arson and arson conspiracy in connection with the Long Island, New York arsons, were Connor Cash, 19. Cash entered a not guilty plea. Charged with arson conspiracy were Jared McIntyre, 17, Matthew Rammelkamp, 16, and George Mashkow Jr., 17. Cash, of Sound Beach, was charged with conspiring with the others to burn the Mount Sinai homes Dec. 30. Prosecutors said he procured the gasoline for the incendiary devices and instructed the others to carry out the torching because as an adult, he feared he would face greater penalties if caught. McIntyre, of Coram, and the other two were accused of carrying out the Dec. 9 arson of four new homes in Middle Island and plotting to torch a Center Moriches duck farm and a McDonald's in Miller Place. Mashkow, of Coram, and McIntyre were charged in the Dec. 19 torching of a home under construction in Miller Place. Rammelkamp, of Miller Place, and McIntyre were charged with carrying out the torching of the Mount Sinai homes. As part of plea bargains with federal prosecutors, George Mashkow and Matthew Rammelkamp pleaded guilty as adults and agreed to cooperate with investigations into ELF and a related group, the Animal Liberation Front. Jared McIntyre also pleaded guilty to arson conspiracy.

[edit on 11-2-2005 by fledgling666]

Originally posted by DrHoracid
The data sited does not include Trees not "designated" as being in a "forest". It is an estimation of "forest" land not trees. It also does not include "private" tree farms. It only contains 'public" owner forest land.

Based on your data of 74,000 acres gone a day and 747 million acres that means no trees left in 27 years.............stupid.........

Why thank you, I've never gotten a stupid award before. I was simply quoting numbers given by the forrestry dept. Did you take the test BTW? It would have told you that we plant more than we harvest, and those figures were only US figures, so the 747 million you are referring to would not reflect the rest of the world, which means that your 27 year figure is off, by a tad. Anyway....we gonna grow upwards or outwards? I'd bet on outwards, wouldn't we have to designate no touch trees to make sure that we still have some? Or you gonna build condos in the forrest ? I don't endorse any of what ELF subscribes to, but I do believe, unless we control the major deforrestation that is going on, we will cause problems to the planet.

Originally posted by bodrul
Earth Liberation front
so they are just a bunch of wako tree huggers?

better then a blood god hugger who has a prophet who rapes and kills children

Originally posted by Wintermorg

Originally posted by bodrul
Earth Liberation front
so they are just a bunch of wako tree huggers?

better then a blood god hugger who has a prophet who rapes and kills children

please verify your racist remark

Originally posted by bodrul

Originally posted by Wintermorg
better then a blood god hugger who has a prophet who rapes and kills children

please verify your racist remark

Nothing Racist in that remark, anti-religion yes, but racist ... no way.

You had better learn the difference between 'race'(species) and 'religion'(belief).

And I agree it is better than a Blood-God invented by a psychotic child rapeing sociopath.

Originally posted by bodrul

Originally posted by Wintermorg

Originally posted by bodrul
Earth Liberation front
so they are just a bunch of wako tree huggers?

better then a blood god hugger who has a prophet who rapes and kills children

please verify your racist remark

you can't be racist towards a RELIGION!

Bloodmorg
Are you talking about Khorne? Seriously, do clarify. And no, it's not racism.

Anyway, my main question is, what's to stop random firebug A from setting a bunch of fires in residential developments or wherever, and then tagging ELF on the gate on his way out?

There's no way of verifying the identity of arsonists until they're caught and tried, correct? And if some random guy gets everyone looking at ELF with a vengeance, then that's going to practically eliminate the possibility of apprehending the actual culprit. Hence, the fires will keep burning, and innocent (of that particular crime) people will continue to be pursued.

And there's no way to get a fair trial if evidence is classified, evidenciary procedure is ignored under new federal standards, and proceedings are in secret (as is the case with most terrorism cases). So how, exactly, are the identities of the suspects being verified? How are the prosecutors going about trying these people? What's to stop the feds from charging whoever they please and claiming it was ELF?

Everyone denies doing the crime, it's practically a natural law. So, that's why we have police and court procedure, to separate lies from truth. When that breaks down...

I shouldn't have to say this, but I think it'll save me a needless reply later: I do not condone arson, or any other crime that threatens life or damages property. Arsonists are criminals, and should be tried and sentenced appropriately. They should receive all the same rights as normal defendants, and the sentence should reflect the severity of the crime. That's justice.

ELF:

Whacko Tree Huggers with bombs and little qualms about using them.

They also drive metal spikes into trees, so that when loggers come to cut down the trees with chainsaws, the metal spikes, once they are hit by the chainsaw, will flyout much like shrapnel in a grenade, killing or injuring the loggers in the vicinity.

Though ELF claims that they mark all trees that the spike like this to warn loggers against cutting down the tree, this is far from truthful, as many a logger has cut into an unmarked tree and found it had been spiked, and they were injured and sometimes killed.

Basically, ELF is a bunch of terrorists who dont think they are terrorists because they think they are saving the earth.

They also bomb and burn car lots. A year ago, they claimed responsibility for such an attack on a lot of SUVs down in California.

WyrdeOne, when ELF strikes, they always claim responsibility, through phonecalls or messages sent through mail, thats how investigators know who did it. ELF is not a silent group. When they strike, they want to let everyone know who dunnit. They often will brag about a hit on their websites, or through their mailing lists.